1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and to an arrangement for securing glass facade elements. The invention is concerned primarily with facade elements in the form of glass sheets or panes which are glued to a frame structure. Such frame structures may be constructed from aluminium profiled sections.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent times, it has become more and more usual to provide building structures, such as office buildings, with a full-covering glass facade. The glass sheets are herewith glued to a rearwardly-lying frame construction and the glue, or adhesive, used is load-carrying both with respect to positive and negative wind loads. Constructions are found in which the glass sheets are supported solely by the adhesive, although there are also found constructions in which, for instance, the bottom edges of the glass sheets rest on a frame part, so that the static load will be taken-up mechanically by the frame structure.
Glass facades of this kind are normally constructed with the aid of sealed double-glazing units. Sealed double-glazing insulating units are constructed with a spacer between the glass sheets, so as to hold the sheets at a given distance apart. An adhesive, or glue, is applied outside the spacer, but between the sheets. The purpose of the adhesive is to hold the glass sheets glued together, and also to form a seal between the surroundings and the space between the sheets. The adhesive used is normally a silicone glue. The glue is applied in the factory, under precise conditions, and consequently the glue joint will not loosen on the insulation unit fitted to the facades.
In the case of known facades of this kind, the known technique used involves gluing the glass sheets of the glazing units that lies closest to the frame structure directly onto said frame structure. This is carried out on the building site, and consequently the glue joints obtained are liable to vary in quality, among other things due to the weather conditions that prevail at that particular time.
It is obvious that a sealed glazing unit thus secured is liable to loosen and fall onto the ground below. It is also obvious that a falling sheet of glass can cause serious injury to people in the vicinity of the glass and also serious damage to property. However, with regard to the aesthetic appearance of the facade, it is important that no fastener devices are visible to the viewer, for instance extending in the joints between two adjacent glazing units and on the outside of said units. There is no doubt that a mechanical fastener arrangement would eliminate the risk of the unintentional release of a glazing unit, even if its glue bond with the frame structure should fail.
The problem solved by means of the present invention is thus that of securing glazing units with the aid of mechanical means without the use of surface-mounted fastener devices.